Ken Loach's 'Jimmy’s Hall' - which the director revealed will probably be his last feature, filmed in Ireland this August and September - has encountered a potential stumbling stock as supplies for the editing of physical film stock are starting to run out.
Loach and editor Jonathan Morris expect to have a rough cut ready for Christmas and a fine cut by February - depending on the availability of materials crucial to the film's completion.
The acclaimed British director, who has resisted the move to digital, has issued an appeal to production companies for help in sourcing rare transfer tape.
According to Screen Daily, Loach has issued an appeal to track down ‘25-30 rolls of dry transfer tape, 13mm wide, developed for Acmade Film Edge Numbering (or edge coding) machines’ – before supplies run out by the end of next week.
‘Jimmy’s Hall’ stars Abbey theatre actor Barry Ward as Leitrim socialist Jim Gralton who, in 1932, returned from a decade in New York to re-open his dance hall which became a meeting place for his political activities.
Other Irish cast members include Simone Kirby (‘Pure Mule’); Andrew Scott (Moriarty in BBC’s ‘Sherlock’); Brían F. O’Byrne (Inspector Mick Moynihan in season 4 of ‘Love/Hate’); and Jim Norton (Bishop Brennan in ‘Father Ted’).
The film is produced by Rebecca O’Brien of Sixteen Films and written by Paul Laverty who scripted ‘The Wind That Shakes the Barley’ and ‘Route Irish’.
‘Jimmy’s Hall’ is a Sixteen Films, Element Pictures, Why Not Productions and Wild Bunch production, supported by the Irish Film Board, BFI and Film4.
Any production companies that might be able to help Ken Loach in sourcing the editing supplies can contact Eimhear McMahon at Sixteen Films by calling (0044) 20 7734 0168, or emailing: eimhear@sixteenfilms.co.uk
